The second day of a high-profile defamation trial is set to spotlight the malicious websites targeting Rebel Wilson, both the producer and star of her own directorial debut.
Rebel Wilson, known for her role in Pitch Perfect, not only directed but also co-produced and starred in “The Deb,” a musical comedy set in the rural areas of New South Wales. However, this project has been mired in controversy, remaining unreleased for two years due to ongoing legal battles.
The lead actor in the film, Charlotte MacInnes, has filed a lawsuit against Wilson. The case revolves around social media posts in which Wilson allegedly claimed that MacInnes had expressed discomfort with co-producer Amanda Ghost.
MacInnes refutes having made any such complaints to Wilson. She contends that Wilson’s public insinuations have damaged her reputation. According to MacInnes, these insinuations suggested she retracted the alleged statements in exchange for a lead role and a record deal.
The situation escalated as these allegations found their way onto defamatory websites that targeted Ms. Ghost, accusing her of being involved in sex trafficking.
MacInnes further alleges that Wilson instructed a publicist in the United States to create these smear websites and subsequently shared the links with Ghost’s and her own associates.
But the Bridesmaids actor denies any involvement in creating the websites and says there is no evidence to support the allegation.
The question of attribution will be explored in the Federal Court when former The Agency Group employee Katie Case testifies on the second day of the defamation hearing on Tuesday.
Text messages tendered to the court appear to reveal her role in creating the smear websites while working for the PR firm under The Agency Group founder Melissa Nathan.
In the messages sent on August 6, 2024, Ms Nathan tells her employee Wilson wants one of “those sites”.
“It can be really really harsh ⦠making her a madam basically lol,” she instructed, per the court documents.
“Oh my god lol ok this one will be fun,” Ms Case replied after promising to pull it together.
MacInnes claims the PR firm was acting on behalf of Wilson when it published the websites detailing shocking allegations.
A document containing many of the allegations published on the website was created under the name of Wilson’s company, according to MacInnes’ barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC.
Wilson’s insistence she had nothing to do with the smear websites “beggars belief”, she said.
But it was possible someone acting on Wilson’s behalf had engaged the firm in hopes of securing a more favourable narrative, her barrister Dauid Sibtain SC argued.
The texts between third parties don’t prove the Hollywood actor played a role in creating the websites and mere mentions of her name couldn’t support that proposition, he said.
“The websites are a distraction,” Mr Sibtain told the court.
“They are not really about the critical issue in this case ⦠(which) is that Ms MacInnes did in fact make a complaint to Ms Wilson.”
Wilson and MacInnes are expected to attend court separately on Tuesday after avoiding eye contact on the first day of the proceedings.
The Deb was released earlier in April in Australia after legal issues prevented its widespread release following its 2024 premiere.
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